Inside the Tamron Hall-Megyn Kelly Shakeup at NBC’s ‘Today’

Tamron Hall’s exit from the “Today” show opens the door for Megyn Kelly to step in. Now, the only question is whether the former Fox News star’s new NBC gig will be at 9 a.m. or 10 a.m. ET.

TheWrap has learned that NBC executives informed Hall and the “Today” staff last week that the 9 a.m. hour was being canceled to make room for a new program led by Kelly. Hall was offered a multi-year, multi-million dollar deal to stay but chose to leave and the network announced her departure on Wednesday.

Hall’s contract was up at the end of the month. She made her last on-air appearance on Tuesday after failing to reach a new deal at NBC that would not have included her current “Today” duties, but would have included a role from the 7-9 a.m. period.

Last month, TheWrap reported that an NBC News spokesperson didn’t deny the possibility of Kelly landing on the “Today” show. The rumors are coming to fruition, and Kelly will host an NBC morning show starting in the fall of 2017.

“Today” has had issues with the 9 a.m. hour for quite some time, highlighted by the firing of Billy Bush last October for his role in a hot-mic incident with Donald Trump from his days as host of “Access Hollywood.”

“Today” doesn’t even include the third hour in its ratings releases, sticking to the 7-9 a.m. hours because rivals “CBS This Morning” and ABC’s “Good Morning America” are on the air during that time.

The first two hours of “Today,” hosted by Matt Lauer and Savannah Guthrie, aren’t going anywhere. Roker, who was Hall’s co-host at 9 a.m., will continue to host the 9 a.m. hour until Kelly joins the network and then he will likely have a role during the Lauer-Guthrie portion of the program.

The fourth hour, hosted by Kathie Lee Gifford and Hoda Kotb, is a fan favorite. If Kelly’s new show is at 9 a.m., Gifford and Kotb will likely stay put. If NBC wants Kelly at 10 a.m., then the wine-drinking veterans can simply start an hour early. It’s unclear if Kelly’s show will be a version of “Today,” or a separate format branded around the star host.

“Today” has been plagued by less-than-seamless transitions in the past. Katie Couric famously left the show back in 2006 to anchor “CBS Evening News” and Ann Curry’s tearful on-air departure rocked the media industry in 2012. The drama goes all the way back to 1990 when Deborah Norville didn’t return to the program after taking maternity leave.

Kelly’s was the most-watched female in cable news last year and NBC would’t have lured her away from Fox News unless they had a prominent role in mind.

Kelly’s representatives did not immediately respond to TheWrap’s request for comment.

"Today" host Tamron Hall announced on Wednesday that she'll be leaving NBC and MSNBC following the cancellation of her hour of the daytime talk show to make room for the incoming Megyn Kelly. NBC was met with harsh backlash from viewers, but it's hardly the first time the morning show has been embroiled in controversy.

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Jane PauleyPauley served as co-host of "Today" for more than a decade alongside Tom Brokaw and Bryant Gumbel. But in 1989, Pauley announced she'd be leaving the show and Deborah Norville would be taking her place. The move was widely interpreted as "Today" replacing its female host with a younger woman, prompting swift criticism from viewers and the media.

Ann Curry Curry was brought on to replace the departing Meredith Vieira in 2011, and was ousted less than a year later for Savannah Guthrie in a move that became a huge embarrassment for "Today." Curry spent her final appearance on the show openly weeping. The well-liked anchor was reportedly driven out in a campaign orchestrated her co-host Matt Lauer and the show's producers.

Natalie MoralesMorales stepped down as "Today" anchor in May 2016, jumping ship for a role on "Access Hollywood." The move was followed by reports that Morales was being ousted due to an affair-gone-awry with Lauer, but both parties swiftly came out and denied the allegations.

Billy Bush During the 2016 Rio Olympics, U.S. swimmer Ryan Lochte claimed he'd been robbed at gunpoint in an friendly interview with "Today's" Billy Bush. His story was soon revealed to be a lie by Rio police and security camera footage, causing some embarrassment for the show. Bush's continued defense of Lochte then led to a heated exchange with co-host Al Roker later in the week.

Billy Bush (again)Just a few months later in October 2016, at the peak of the presidential election, Bush was at the center of yet another scandal. This time it involved newly uncovered tapes from Bush's tenure at "Access Hollywood." After the audio surfaced of Bush egging on Donald Trump as he bragged about sexually assaulting women, the host was promptly suspended, then dismissed, from "Today."

Tamron Hall After the news that Megyn Kelly would be leaving Fox News to take on her own daytime show at NBC, Hall was informed by the network that the 9 a.m. hour of "Today" that she co-hosted with Al Roker would be canceled. Hall subsequently announced her plans to leave NBC in February 2017, inciting swift criticism of the network from her fans.

The venerable morning show has been a lightning rod ever since Pauley was abruptly replaced by Deborah Norville

"Today" host Tamron Hall announced on Wednesday that she'll be leaving NBC and MSNBC following the cancellation of her hour of the daytime talk show to make room for the incoming Megyn Kelly. NBC was met with harsh backlash from viewers, but it's hardly the first time the morning show has been embroiled in controversy.